Young motorists were urged to get to grips with dangerous driving conditions today with the launch of a new safety course designed with the help of young people.

Norfolk County Council and Norfolk Police joined forces for 'Tread Says' - an initiative aimed at reducing the number of fatal and serious road traffic collisions involving youngsters at the wheel.

The number of crashes on Norfolk's roads has gone down over the last three years, but more than 35pc of collisions involve young people, according to the Casualty Reduction Partnership.

Officials gathered at Tibenham Airfield, near Diss, this morning to launch the new scheme, which has been developed with help from young people.

The course will include a skid avoidance exercise in a specially adapted Ford Focus to simulate icy driving conditions and prepare participants for understeering and oversteering incidents.

The practical session is followed by six workshops with tips on winter driving, changing a tyre, car modifications, and other driving tips to stay safe.

Alec Byrne, county councillor and chairman of the Casualty Reduction Partnership said the new initiative gave 17 to 25-year-old drivers an easier way than an accident to learn how to stay safe on the road.

'Over the last three years young drivers were involved in 36pc of recorded accidents on Norfolk's roads, including over 300 crashes in which people were killed or seriously injured. But they don't want to be lectured about their driving, so Tread is focused on practical, interactive workshops, that will help them become better, safer drivers without going though the harsh lessons of a crash.

'Overall, people are much safer on Norfolk's roads than they were. The number of people killed or seriously injured is half what it was ten years ago. But people in the 17 to 25 age group are still involved too often, so Tread has been developed by the County Council's casualty reduction team, with the help of Fire and Rescue Service and the Police, to cut accidents and casualties among young drivers.'

Tread offers the skid car training and a choice of four of these workshops for �25 - with another skid car session for completing all four.

Anyone interested can email roadsafety@norfolk.gov.uk. More information is available at www.think.norfolk.gov.uk and www.facebook.com/treadsays